In this video, Dr. Keefer explains why gastroenterologists are turning to psychologists for help with their patients who don’t get relief from medication. Hypnotherapy can be an effective treatment for heartburn and other stomach conditions. It’s a powerful alternative treatment, backed with scientific evidence, that is increasingly being offered at the nation’s leading medical centers.

As a key member of the Rome Foundation, Dr. Keefer serves as a member of two Rome IV committees of the Rome IV book : “Central Disorders of Gastrointestinal Pain” [Co-Chair] and “Biopsychosocial Aspects of Functional GI Disorders. She also leads the Rome Foundation’s Psychogastroenterology Standing Committee which focuses on increasing the availability of GI-trained mental health professionals around the world.

Dr. Keefer is well known for her training of therapists in the implementation of evidence-based behavior therapies for GI diseases with an emphasis on gut-directed hypnotherapy and cognitive behavior therapy and is a sought-after lecturer on these topics. She is also a member of Council for the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society.

In her current role at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, Dr. Keefer oversees Psychobehavioral Research for the Division of Gastroenterology and also Co-Directs a patient-centered subspecialty medical home within the Susan and Leonard Feinstein IBD Clinical Center called GRITT-IBDTM [Gaining Resilience Through Transitions] which focuses on reducing negative outcomes for patients with inflammatory bowel disease by enhancing resilience with behavioral tools. She remains committed to the development of self-management tools that leverage the strong brain-gut connection in order to improve outcomes for patients with chronic digestive diseases.